Last Christmas at Home
by MarineAurora
Summary: Aurora and Vivian celebrated their last Christmas before going on their journey in Snowbelle. DE Universe. Christmas Special!


Here is my last minute Christmas special on Christmas Eve. This is dedicated to everyone that has read my stories in the last year.

With special thanks to all their support: Iridescent Isabelle (formerly known as Deneca), The 6th Spectral King, Raxen12 and all the reviewers.

Happy Holidays!

Here is to a safe and Happy 2016!

* * *

Christmas special: Last Christmas at home!

The fire in the hearth was cackling loudly in the quiet room. Glaceon lied on the couch snoozing softly as he listened to his master's family as they laughed and spoke in the kitchen. His master's pups and the stray pup were excited about something. Then he remembered.

It was the day the Humans called Christmas Eve. Truthfully, Glaceon didn't care for the day, but the treats the pups gave him were greatly appreciated. Around this time of the year, the Human's would be extra nice to each other and the battle place would close for a few days. The gentle Ice-type enjoyed these days as the pups would go out and play with him and his teammates.

The room smelled heavenly. Just like outside. Glaceon peeked at the great fir that stood proudly in the corner of the room. It was adorned with soft blinking lights and sparkling balls of silver, blue and red. The contrast made it look pretty. That is what his master's eldest pup had said. The youngest had thrown more colored tinsel into the tree as a response. A star in blue stood on the top of the tree.

The ice-fox was happy to see the figurine of him placed high in the tree. The eldest pup had placed it there so her littermate was unable to grab it without assistance. She liked to play with the figurines, but this one was made from the shiny material that was the same as the clear panels that you could see through to the outside.

He could hear the pups being dismissed to the living room where he was lying. The first one to join him on the couch was the younger pup. She loved him with all her heart and started petting him gently. She had often cooed over him and truth to be told, he had to say that he liked her, the most out of the two pups his master had.

The eldest daughter was too much trouble. Always running around, inevitably causing trouble wherever she went. Oh, it was not her fault. But she was a bit of a klutz; the slippery ground usually didn't help her balance. She did have a talent for battling. In the past, she would beg his master to be allowed to battle with his Pokémon and Glaceon had offered to do that for her. She never lost one battle while she fought with him.

And then, she got that annoying Ghost trailing after her: Shuppet. The fun of being scared had worn off pretty quickly and the ghost had taken to avoiding Glaceon if he did not want to be introduced to an Ice Fang. She was driven and fierce, never wavering from her path and Glaceon did love his master's pup, but she was exhausting.

The younger pup was softer; she had a lot of friends and was really popular. She would not fight with him, but enjoyed brushing his fur until it shone. She would take walks with him and just enjoy being outside, unlike her elder littermate, who would rush from place to place. No, Glaceon loved them both, but he was getting older and he started enjoying the calm atmosphere over the excitement of battling.

He couldn't forget about the stray that the eldest had picked up somewhere along the line: the girl with the golden hair and bird. She was gentle and way too kind for the life of a competitive battler. She tried her hardest and the results were great. The stray was the fourth in her class in terms of battling, after his master's pup and two others. The stray would pet him whenever she saw him and cuddle if she had the time. She would make a great healer, but her heart was settled on staying connected with the eldest pup. Maybe it would be for the best.

Glaceon fell asleep soon after, still petted by the youngest pup. It was good to be the beloved family pet.

* * *

Aurora sat in front of the fireplace. Shuppet landed on her lap and snuggled closer to his Trainer. She gave him a fond look before turning around to look at her younger sister. Jenn's sleepy jade eyes were half closed as she was petting the ice fox that belonged to their father. The older girl gave a slight grin as she caught her sister slowly nodding off to dreamland.

It had been a busy day. After getting Vivian from her house, since her mom had the night shift to be free on Christmas day, the three girls had brought Vivian's stuff to the house that belonged to the Lockwood family. They had the whole day to themselves as Aurora and Jenn's mother had to make a last minute trip to the Berry farm to ensure the Pokémon Center had enough medicinal berries to last through the holidays.

So, the girls had headed to the town square. It was a tradition for as long as Aurora and Vivian could remember to hold a snow fight there on the day of Christmas Eve. All the children that lived in Snowbelle participated as long as they hadn't left on their Pokémon journey. After that, you were considered too old. This year was the last time Aurora would participate and it saddened her to a certain extent, but the other side was going wild with excitement.

The whole afternoon was spent making snowballs and then throwing them to the other camp. The smaller children were considered off-limits in regards of actually throwing snowballs at and they made use of this by throwing their own balls from a short distance. The retaliation from the older children would consist of picking them up and softly placing them in the cold snow on their back. Often a bit off snow would find its way into the clothes of the younger children and they would squeal from the cold sensation.

Shuppet had taken the opportunity to scare as many of the little Humans he could. This time it only added to the fun, as someone would take the chance to launch a ball at them while they were occupied with the ghost.

Swablu settled in a tree and stayed out of the way. She disliked the cold, hard stuff. It made it hard to fly when it got stuck in her feathers.

Slowly, the children had gone home until only the oldest had been left. They made sure that everyone got home safely and only then they would go home too. Snowbelle was very safe, but the weather in the winter was unpredictable and it had happened in the past that a snowstorm had passed just as they had been heading home. This year the snow picked up a bit, but other than that it was peaceful.

Aurora and Vivian had wished everyone they met "Happy Holidays". As the children of a high-ranking Gym Trainer and one of the two nurses, they had to be on their best behavior most of the time. Jenn had done the same with her child-like manners. After all, she would be the one left when Aurora finally left on her journey. Most of the people had cooed over Jenn and her red cheeks that were slightly hidden behind a mint green scarf.

They finally got back to the Lockwood house at the same time as their father. Jenn had flown to her father's arms and told him all about the snowball fights. While listening and nodding to his youngest daughter's tales of the great afternoon, he greeted Aurora and Vivian. Aurora's mom was already finished with cooking and the table was set.

* * *

And now, the three girls were tired and hung out in the living room while the Lockwood parents did the dishes.

Jenn was asleep. Aurora and Vivian were planning their journey. They would leave in the spring, as the snow would make for a lousy start to any journey.

Aurora's parents picked up Jenn and told the girls to go to sleep at a reasonable hour, meaning around eleven. After wishing Mr. and Mrs. Lockwood goodnight, Vivian lied on a pillow that was placed in front of the fireplace. She grinned at her friend, who was lying on her back and playing with Shuppet. The blonde girl felt the weight of her Swablu settle on her head. The bird had a fondness for sitting on her head.

The copper redhead made the mistake of tilting her head backward to avoid being licked by Shuppet. It was then that she saw the mischievous look Vivian was shooting her way. The reddish blonde gulped and figured that it was better to wait.

"So, what do you think will happen on our journey?" Vivian was going to start with the smaller questions and then move on to the bigger ones.

Aurora turned her focus back to the ceiling while Shuppet made himself comfortable on her stomach. She thought about it. What did she think what would happen?

"I really don't know. What I hope is that I meet new people, find Pokémon that wants to become part of my team and really find what I want to be." Her voice was soft as she let the words pass through her lips.

Vivian was a bit surprised.

"No dreams of greatness? Or becoming the Kalos Champion? Just traveling and exploring the world to see what could be? I thought you know what you wanted to do." The blonde mulled about the words a bit. Aurora was an amazing Trainer, so why did she hesitate to answer that question?

"Right now, I don't feel like those dreams are within reach. I mean, I'd love to become the Kalos Champion or of any region for that matter. Don't get me wrong about that. But that is so final. You have reached the top. After that it probably all goes downhill." Aurora scratched the top of Shuppet's head. She hadn't really thought about it until now. She had been busy with real life; there hadn't been any time for dreaming about the future yet. And now everything seemed to come so fast.

"What about you?" The girl tipped her head back so she could look Vivian in the eyes.

"I want to protect Pokémon, maybe become a Nurse like Mom or set up a sanctuary somewhere." Vivian got a dreamy look on her face as she envisioned a beautiful forest with a lot of Pokémon roaming around freely. The happy looks on their faces as she walked past them.

Aurora smiled as she saw the reaction Vivian's dreams evoked. That was an admirable dream to have. To protect what you love.

"Really? I could see that happening one day. The Fairy Sanctuary for all unloved Pokémon with you to protect and take care of them." Vivian gave a grin. The blood rush to her cheeks was difficult to hide, but Aurora wasn't even looking.

"Why do you always associate me with Fairies?" Vivian had been referred to as the Fairy Princess several times by Aurora and had always taken it in stride, but she was curious and wanted to know the answer.

"I see you having a complete Fairy-type team in the future if you had to choose. You are just as floaty as they are." This comment resulted in a pillow to Aurora's face. The girls laughed as they carefully hit each other with pillows, making sure not to wake Glaceon. They fell in a laughing heap after they ran out of breath.

"You are too indecisive to stick with one type, so I guess you will become a jack of all trades." Vivian laughed while wheezing trying to get the air back into her lungs.

"Well, you know what they say. Jack of all trades, master of none, though oftentimes better than master of one." Aurora got her breath back as she retorted to Vivian. They untangled themselves but laid next to each other, their respective partners choosing to join Glaceon on the couch.

"What if you meet someone and leave me alone?" Vivian asked in a small voice.

"That will never happen. You are my best friend and I will not leave you for just anybody." Aurora's firm voice settled Vivian's nerves quite a bit.

"So, you would for your soulmate?" Vivian saw the chance to tease her friend a bit. She was rewarded with a huge blush.

"Vivian!" Aurora squeaked. The sound of Aurora actually squeaking with a huge blush send Vivian into a giggling fit.

The teal-eyed girl slammed a pillow over her face in mortification.

Then she figured that slamming the pillow at Vivian would be better for her embarrassment.

* * *

On Christmas morning, Aurora's father slowly walked downstairs to see his daughter and her best friend sleeping on the ground in the living room. Slowly breathing the girls were still in dreamland, dreaming of adventures to come.


End file.
